By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 11 May 2023
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
The 2023 XFL Championship Game is upon us on Saturday, May 13, 2023, with the DC Defenders taking on Arlington Renegades. The Championship Game is the XFL’s version of the Super Bowl, and it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s even taking place.
When the XFL was launched in 2020 to positive reviews, it was expected to take off, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other ideas, and the league had to file for bankruptcy after just five weeks of competition. The XFL is a professional American football minor league founded by WWE executive Vince McMahon and is a successor to the same league founded in 2001 by McMahon, which makes it a popular league for the best football betting sites in the world.
After a three-year hiatus, it is back because former pro-wrestling star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson formed a consortium to purchase the league in 2020. Just getting this far is a success for the league. Following 10 rigorous weeks and one playoff round, starting from February 18, 2023, the XFL will crown its first champion in the coming days.
The XFL shares many similarities with the NFL but has a few notable differences. Here are the three most important ones:
Extra points can be generated in three ways after a touchdown. Still, none of them involve kicking for a point. Teams can collect points from the two-yard line, five-yard line, and 10-yard line – going from the two-yard line generates one point, the five-yard line generates two points, and the 10-yard line generates three points.
A team can go for a fourth-and-15 from the 25-yard line if they want to retain possession after a touchdown in the fourth quarter. They keep the ball if they convert by picking up the 15 yards, unlike the onside kick seen in the NFL.
The XFL’s overtime format is like the NCAA and CFL, not the NFL. The two teams will get alternating attempts from the other’s five-yard line to score. Each team gets three tries, and the one who converts the most wins. If scores are tied after three, the teams must keep going till there is a winner.
Let’s not take a look at the Championship Game odds.
Here are the odds of the DC Defenders and the Arlington Renegades heading into the 2023 XFL Championship Game:
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| DC Defenders | -250 |
| Arlington Renegades | +200 |
Odds as of May 9th on Odds Shark
The DC Defenders are heavy favorites to win the 2023 XFL Championship Game.
The DC Defenders have been the best side in the league all season, with nine wins out of 10. They’ve scored 50 points more than any other side and had little trouble against the Sea Dragons in the semifinals.
Running back Abram Smith has been in top form all season. He has led the XFL in ground yards with over 350 yards. He also averages 5.0 yards per carry.
He can be contained, as the Sea Dragons showcased last week by limiting him to 48 yards on 23 carries, but he can punish teams in other ways – he managed three rushing touchdowns in the same game. The Renegades will have a difficult time stopping him.
The Renegades offer excellent value, and they’ve got this far, so they clearly have something about them. They weren’t great in the regular season; they won just four games but showed a lot of character to bounce back and dominate Houston in the semifinals.
The Defenders will also be well aware that they won against the Renegades earlier in the same by just two points. The Renegades can go toe-to-toe with the Defenders; this match isn’t as one-sided as the odds table might suggest.
Let’s now make a pick for the XFL Championship Game.
One of two familiar sports narratives will be formed after the Championship Game: the DC Defenders will win the championship, become the team to beat, and look to form a dynasty in the early history of this tournament, or the Arlington Renegades will cause a memorable upset that will be remembered for years to come.
The second narrative is far more interesting, and there’s great value in picking the Renegades. Renegades quarterback Luis Perez put on a show last week and did the same against the Defenders earlier in the season. He seems like a man for the big occasion, and we think he makes the Renegades worth a punt.
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